Family stumble across Paralympic ceremony on holiday trip up Snowdon

8:16am Thursday 30th August 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By Kate Liptrot, kate.liptrot@thepress.co.uk

York schoolboy Lewis Long with Lord Coe York schoolboy Lewis Long with Lord Coe

A YORK family has told how they inadvertently witnessed the lighting of the Paralympic flame while on holiday in Wales.

Carol and Richard Long and their son, Lewis, 15, from Boroughbridge Road, had travelled to the top of Mount Snowdon where they came across Lord Sebastian Coe and the Paralympic torch lighters and Scouts.

The group had gathered on the peak of Snowdon for a ceremony carried out on the highest peaks of England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, to signify the start of the 14th Paralympic Games.

Scouts struck a metal rod against a rough steel surface to ignite sparks to light a flame, which was then used to light the torch.

The Long family were invited to watch the ceremony and were captured in news footage and photographs of the ceremony.

Mrs Long said: “We were there to watch the whole lighting event and were part of the small crowd during the ceremony. We took many photos and video footage to mark this amazing event and feel very privileged to have been there. When we booked the trip five weeks ago we had no idea how lucky we would be.”

Manor CE School pupil Lewis later had his photograph taken with Lord Coe, who travelled in the train back from the summit with them.

The opening ceremony of Paralympic Games took place last night in the Olympic Stadium in London.

Comments(13)

Grumpy Old Man says...
12:12pm Thu 30 Aug 12

This is a story how? Presumably because they were the only people in Britain who didn't know it was going on?

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Anotherslownewsday says...
12:19pm Thu 30 Aug 12

Blah blah blah paralympics. Blah blah blah Lord Coe. Blah blah blah lost my will to live. Are there not any crashes on the A64 to report on for gods sake.

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desmond tiblets says...
1:01pm Thu 30 Aug 12

the legendary mr long.love you long time

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roy_batty says...
1:48pm Thu 30 Aug 12

Didn't realise there was a tony nearys at the top of snowden

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Kevin Turvey says...
3:37pm Thu 30 Aug 12

Wow that is the most amazing real life story I have ever read.....not.

Once on holiday I inadvertently witnessed a person attempting to polish a Turd...

So around the world whilst the olympics have been on there is still murder, war, famine, repression etc and most of those are at the hands of the UK and USA armed forces being corporate **** to global big business, yet nobody cares because the olympics are on the telly!

What a sad sad attention seeking world we live in.

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Gary Gilmores Eyes says...
3:42pm Thu 30 Aug 12

That would have spoiled my day not enhanced it!

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sheps lad says...
4:12pm Thu 30 Aug 12

What a load of miserable plonkers you all are!

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R'Marcus says...
4:43pm Thu 30 Aug 12

If the "stumbled" on Mount Snowdon, they would fall down....no joke!

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R'Marcus says...
4:45pm Thu 30 Aug 12

Lewis and that plonker, Coe, on Mount Snowdon? The photo shows trees and vegetation.
There is NO vegetation on Snowdon!

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R'Marcus says...
4:46pm Thu 30 Aug 12

Lewis and that plonker, Coe, on Mount Snowdon? The photo shows trees and vegetation.
There is NO vegetation on Snowdon!

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R'Marcus says...
4:46pm Thu 30 Aug 12

Lewis and that plonker, Coe, on Mount Snowdon? The photo shows trees and vegetation.
There is NO vegetation on Snowdon!

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R'Marcus says...
4:46pm Thu 30 Aug 12

Lewis and that plonker, Coe, on Mount Snowdon? The photo shows trees and vegetation.
There is NO vegetation on Snowdon!

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Oncebitten says...
10:18am Fri 31 Aug 12

No disrespect to this family ....but why on earth is The Press reporting such utter rubbish......perhaps The Press should run a tenuous link competition......I once sat on the same train as the triple jumper who had eye laser surgery....can't remember his name!

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